Last blog entries

Sixty Six Seconds On The Road Trip

2012 Annual Ride

March 6, 2012 at 5:23am

This year's destination was Moonan Flat and the weather forecast was wet, with floods. Not a great lead up to the weekend but ten of us set out in medium drizzle at 8am on the Saturday. The light rain stayed with us all morning but disappeared around noon. There was still water across a couple of sections of road, but nothing uncrossable. By the time we reached the destination pub, the roads were dry and the rain just a memory.

The locals were very friendly, the beer was very cold and we had a great night.

On Sunday, we left in glorious sunshine, which stayed with us until late in the afternoon.

Wise Words

Andrew Aitken "Andy" Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) was an American radio and television writer. He died on November 4, 2011, at age 92.

He was quite controversial at times, but along the way made some pertinent comments. The following ones have been attributed to him:

That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
That when you're in love, it shows.
That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
That being kind is more important than being right.
That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
That money doesn't buy class.
That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
That love, not time, heals all wounds.
That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.
That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

......

And Another Thing...

March 8, 2010 at 6:33am

We had stopped in lovely Lithgow for fuel and I was standing next to my bike at the bowser, chatting to no. 4 brother. As we spoke, I noticed an old guy in a Ford Falcon come into the servo and head our way. He wasn't going fast, but he was getting a bit close. I warned little brother and he jumped out of the path of the car as I grabbed my bike and leant it as far as I could towards me. The car honestly missed the bike by less than 5 cm and continued on to the next bowser, where it smashed into the pole that protects bowsers from old blokes in Ford Falcons.

The old fellow got out of his car, looked at his crushed fender and what was left of his headlight, scratched his head and started filling his car with fuel. It was like he did that everyday, and he didn't even acknowledge his earlier targets standing a few metres from him. I felt that was impolite of him, given that I had gone to the trouble of using my best expletives when describing his driving skills.